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Friday, November 28, 2014

Post-Holiday Detox Salad (vegan)

Indulge a little too much during the holidays? Feeling the need to cleanse and reset? Drinking too much alcohol, eating a lot of sugary foods, and just eating too much food in general can tax your detoxification pathways. If you are not detoxing properly, you can end up with lowered energy, increased pain in the body, poor circulation, and sluggish digestion.

By consuming this salad, which is rich in plant-based chemicals that promote detoxification, you can relieve some of the unwanted symptoms of a holiday hangover and begin to regain balance. In fact, if you include raw plant foods such as kale, cabbage, arugula, broccoli, collards, ginger, pomegranates, lemons and limes, blueberries, cranberries, black currants, and raspberries in your daily diet (try green smoothies, fresh juices, and big salads), you will find that indulging in (healthy) holiday treats once in a while will be easier for your body to handle. Hint, hint….try serving this salad at your next holiday gathering!

Post-Holiday Detox Salad

This recipe tastes great the day it is made, plus will last a few days in your refrigerator with the dressing on it. I use pepitas (shelled green pumpkin seeds) in this recipe. You should be able to find them in the bulk food section of your local health food store. You can also substitute them with toasted sunflower seeds, or omit them altogether.

Place all of the ingredients for the salad into a large bowl and toss together.

To make the dressing, add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour dressing over salad and toss together. Serve.

Note: to toast pumpkin seeds, heat a stainless steel skillet over medium heat. Add the seeds and keep them moving in the pan. They should puff up and become slightly golden. This should take about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pumpkin seeds from the pan and place them onto a plate to cool. Source: www.NourishingMeals.com

About the Author

Alissa Segersten holds a Bachelor's of Science in Nutrition from Bastyr University. She is the founder of Whole Life Nutrition, the mother of five children, a whole foods cooking instructor, professional recipe developer, and cookbook author. She is passionate about helping others find a diet that will truly nourish them, and offers elimination diet recipes, healthy gluten-free recipes, paleo and vegan recipes, as well as tips for feeding your family a nourishing, whole foods diet. Alissa is the author of two very popular gluten-free, whole foods cookbooks and guidebooks: The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook and Nourishing Meals. She is also the co-author of The Elimination Diet book. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram!

I had this salad today and it was fantastic. Someone I work with - a devotee to the elimination diet and Ali's recipes - made it right after thanksgiving. She brought some to me and I will be buying the ingredients for a luncheon on Friday! The flavors are light and the pomegranate adds a nice taste and crunch!

I love everything about this salad. I've made it twice just this week, and am making it again in a few days for my sister. My husband and I both loved it, as well as my 14-year old son. I used tahini in the dressing.

Welcome to my blog!

Hi! My name is Alissa Segersten and I've had a love of healthy food and cooking since the age of 10. When I was pregnant with my first daughter in 2001, I diligently began writing down my recipes because so many people would ask for them! Some of these recipes appeared in my first book, The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook. I now have 5 children and am passionate about educating them about our food system so they can make the most informed choices as they grow up and are exposed to a world of processed, chemical-laden foods. Join me in my mission of helping to support families with nourishing meals!